Method for producing artificial fabrics



Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,546

' N. DURYEA METHOD FOR PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL FABRICS Filed Spt. so, 1921 Fahd-arms;

rareme e Aug. 1, 1924 Miran,

NINA L. DURYEA, OF STOCKBRIIDGE, MASSAGEU'ETTS.

METHOD FOR PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL FABRICS- Application filed September 30, 1921. Serial No. 504,468.

Stockbridge, in the county of Berkshire and '6 State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods for Producing Artificial Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to methods for producing fabrics and more particularly to the fabrication .of so-called artificial leathers.

Generically-described, my improved process provides a simple method for laying the fibres both longitudinally and diagonally crosswise in such intimate and effective association that the fabric has in an appreciable degree the structural strength of woven w of many of the so-called artificial leathers.

On the contrary, in the practice of my process I first compose a layer of fibres all running parallel and in the same plane and around this sheet oflongitudinally disposed fibrous materials I wind on the bias another layer, which preferably is applied to both surfaces of the first described sheet.

The fibres of this wound sheet may by simple arrangements be made to cross those of the longitudinally disposed sheet at an desired angle, and more than one over-laid sheet may be thus employed. Thus, when the central sheet of fibres has been wound with a sheet whose fibres have, for example, been laid at an angle of degrees to those of the straight sheet, a third sheet may be similarly but oppositely wound upon the other two with the result that all the strands of any given sheet cross at substantially the same angularity those of both the other original sheets of which the new product is formed.

I employ rolls suitably placed for properly introducing the binder and filler ele- 0 ments into the fibres of the respective sheets and others for finally compressing the different elements into a single compact sheet of material which obviously may be made in many forms and of various materials producing fabrics of an endless variety of useful properties.

It is therefore deemed not essential in connection with my present invention to describe with any details the special forms of fillers with which the difierent fibres are treated and bound together into a continuous sheet or'roll. The-present invention is accordingly intended broadly to cover the general arrangements of fibres and fibrous sheets and their fabrication to form the base of an. artificial leather or other fabric of great strength and durability.

More particularly described, my improved method comprises the following steps or stages of manufacture:

First. I prepare in the form of a fiat sheet a continuous strip of fibrous materials such as may be obtained commercially under the name of cotton wadding, which for convenience in handling is preferably employed in the form of a roll of material, wound flatwise upon a suitable spool or reel that is in turn loosely mounted upon a spindle horizontally supported upon suitable bearecond. In the practice of my invention I prefer. to conduct the material thus provided in reel form into and between a pair of horizontal rolls, the upper roll member resting upon the under roll which is provided with means whereby it may be rotated to'be manually or otherwise actuated.

The rolls thus employed furnish primaprocess, or at a later development thereof,

Third. Adjacent the rolls in the line of issuance therefrom of the straight fibre sheet I lay flatways upon a bench or table suitably provided for the purpose a diagonal sheet of fibrous wedding, the fibres thereof running at a predetermined angle relatively to those of the straight fibre sheets.

Fourth. The straight fibre roll is then fed through the rolls and in any convenient manner is carried forward tocover entirely the diagonal sheet and is then pressed down upon the diagonal sheet so as to form an intimate contact between the fibres of the respective straight and diagonal layers.

Fifth. The diagonal fibre sheet is then turned over the edge of the straight fibre sheet and pressed down upon the fibres, upon the upper or reverse side thereof, its fibres now running in a reversed direction of substantially the same angularity as before relatively to the direction of the fibres of the straight sheet.

Sixth. The diagonal sheet is now turned under the straight sheet in the same manner it was first turned back over the top surface thereof, and the respective sheets while retaining their, relative positions are carried forward until the new section of underswung diagonal sheet is in position to rest upon the table, whereupon the three layers now composing the sheet or roll being fabricated are put under suflicient pressure for the concluding process next to be described.

Seventh. The fabricated sheet passes next into a second pair of rolls similar in construction and mode of operation to the first mentioned rolls.

This second set of rolls may be termed the finishing rolls, and they are provided with the usual means for applying liquid preparations to fabric surfaces by means of which rolls the divergent fibres of three layers are thoroughly impregnated with a binder while at the same time all thefibres are forced into intimate union, thereby forming a fabric sheet.

Eighth. The preceding steps may be repeated indefinitely,,. depending upon the length of the rolls of cotton from which the product of my process is formed, but it is not' desired to limit the scope of the invention to the length of fabricated product.

In the process thus far described a fibrous fabric will be produced which is made up of three layers in one of which the fibres all tend in a substantially longitudinal direction, those of the layers above and below running diagonally across the straight fibres, the diagonally disposed fibres all tending in the same general direction relatively to those of the straight sheet.

For the purpose of obtaining a more complete diversity of fibrous Structure, I prefer to extend the operations described to include further steps similar to those heretofore described, as follows:

Ninth. Upon the issuance of the fabric from the second set of rolls, it is laid upon a second table upon which a second roll of diagonally disposed fibres has previously been placed in the same manner as the first mentioned-- diagonal sheet was disposed as together. Preferably the fibres of this third or overlaid sheet are laid to run oppositely to those of the layer with which it comes into immediate contact.

This third or top layer is then reversed and wound around the other layer in the same manner as described in the receding steps, and the new roduct thus ormed is fed into and treated by a third set of fiattening rolls which are similar to the other two sets of rolls in form and equipment, and add anapplication of the impregnating fluid to the fibres which have not been treated previously.

In preparing the rolls of cotton wadding, the relative widths of the respective straight and diagonal sheets are predetermined by the angularity desired for the transversely disposed fibres. If, for instance, it be desired to have the diagonal fibres cross the longitudinal sheet at thirty degrees, the width of both sheets will be substantially the same. If, however, a different angle be desired for the cross fibres, the wrapping sheet will be made wider or narrower, de-

pending upon whether the angle at crossing winding. It is obvious that the sheet of fibres to {be laid diagonally may be returned upon itself, and its fibres matted together in the impregnating rolls, and afterwards laid upon the straight fibrous sheet and have its fibres impressed upon the diagonal fibres by the rolls- 1 The latter method might possess advantages in the labor entailed in the working thereof. In the preferred form described, however, the resulting product will be more durable and therefore more desirable. For instance, the diagonally disposed fibres in being turned back along the edges of the straight fibre sheet, form a perfect selvedge edge, and in addition thereto the layers thus formed are contained one within the other and not liable to peel off or otherwise separate one from the other.

In illustrating my process I have chosen as a convenient type of fibrous layer sheet commercial cotton batting, but it is evident that fibres of other materials can be formed -term cotton fibre in a into such sheets, and be employed in the same manner as described in connection with the cotton fibres; I therefore have used the fabricating ma-' improved ustrated in fed from a roll or spool 8 between rolls 6 and 7 over a table 9 between a" second -pair or set of rolls 10 and 11 and wound upon a second spool 12. 7

The roll 6 is shown resting on the terials which consists in preparing a sheet of of'its companion roll 7, a ban e lfibe n' attached to the roll 6 for actuating thei -.p

to unwrap and carry forward the fibrous layer 5 so as to be advanced along the top of the table as required. v

A pan 14 .is shown with its lowermost edge resting upon the periphery of the roll 6 by means of which the blnder may be applied to the fibrous layer 5.

The second layer 5' is wound around the longitudinally disposed layer 5 by hand, being shown in Fig. 2 as applied at the be-. ginning of the process, the spool 12 being also rotated by hand as the wrapped portion passes through the rolls 10 and 11 which are employed to compress the respective fibres of the layers 5 and 5' into a single sheet of material fixed by the binder agent supplied by the-pan 14.

Before feeding into .the final rolls the diagonally wound layer can be made to adhere to the other by patting by the hand or other means while still resting upon the table generic sense to the :ment; wrapping upon said sheet a similar sheet of fibres so as to cross the fibres of said first mentioned sheet diagonally; then treating, said composed sheets with said bindin 9 being subsequently uniformly compressed into final form by the rolls 10 and 11.

-Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The method of fabricating fibrous ma terials which consists in laying a fibrous sheet with its-fibres disposed longitudinally;

wrapping the longitudinal fibres with other fibres at a predetermined angular pitch relatively thereto, and impregnating the fibres with abinding element. 2. The method of fabricating fibrous materials which consists of preparing sheets of fibres longitudinally arranged; wrapping one of said sheets diagonally upon another of said sheets; impregnating the fibres of said sheets and compressing them into a single continuous sheet.

, 3.1 The'method of fabricating fibrous mafibres and treating-them with a binding eleelement; and finally passing the combine sheets through com ression rolls.

4'. The method 0 fabricating fibrous materials which consists in reparlng sheets of fibres; passing one of sa1d sheets longitudinally through impregnating rolls and thereby applying a binder element, and compressing said fibres; wrappingv a second sheet of longitudinally disposed fibres diagonally around said impregnated sheet; passing said wrap ed sheets through other rolls, whereby sa1d fibres are impregnated with a binding element and compressed into a relatlvely thin sheet of fabric.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y NINA L. DURYEA. 

